North Carolina Betting

North Carolina has a history of resisting gambling across the board. The state has just one Indian casino and no greyhound or horse tracks that permit racing betting. State laws restrict almost everything except the state lottery, small charitable raffles and charitable bingo games. It wasn’t until 2006 that the state even implemented a lottery.

None of this bodes well for the future of online betting in North Carolina. Any state that resists real-world gambling as much as North Carolina is naturally going to be resistant to internet wagering. The only forms of online betting that are currently permitted in the state are fantasy sports and games of skill.

North Carolina to this day continues to crack down on various forms of gambling. In 2007, a statewide ban was implemented on all video poker machines. A second ban on sweepstakes parlors came into effect in 2013. The fact that North Carolina continues to stamp out anything it perceives as gambling is a further indication that online poker and casinos won’t be coming to the state any time soon.

Legal Forms of Online Betting

The only forms of internet wagering that are clearly legal in North Carolina are fantasy sports and games of skill. Internet poker, casinos and sports betting are all outlawed statewide at this time.

Fantasy Sports

The fantasy sports betting industry received an important exemption from a piece of federal legislation that was passed in 2006. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) declared fantasy leagues to be contests of skill at the federal level. Only states that specifically outlaw wagering on contests of skill prohibit online fantasy leagues.

Up until recently, North Carolina fantasy sites operated without interference from the state. Although there were no laws prohibiting daily fantasy sports, neither were there any laws regulating or overseeing the industry. Lawmakers decided in 2017 that the fantasy sports industry has grown to the point where now it’s time to regulate and (of course) tax it.

Republican lawmakers introduced HB 279 on 8 March, 2017 to establish a regulatory framework for fantasy sports and collect a 10% tax on revenue. HB 279 also calls for operators to register with the Department of the Secretary of State and pay a registration fee equal to 10% of the previous year’s revenues, but no less than $2500 and no more than $10,000. Licenses will be valid for five years and operators will need to re-apply every five years and pay a renewal fee equal to the lesser amount of 10% of the previous year’s net revenue or $5,000.

That effort was later shot down by lawmakers under pressure from anti-gambling groups. The North Carolina Family Policy Council called it a “massive expansion of legalized gambling” despite the the fact that thousands of residents already play fantasy sports online. The killed North Carolina’s chances to legalize and regulate DFS until at least 2019.

Currently, fantasy sites operate in North Carolina without interference. Although the industry have never been formally legalized, it seems no one has any interest in actually trying to build a case against DFS sites.

North Carolina Online Lottery

North Carolina sold its first lottery ticket in 2006 and now operates a standard range of major draw games such as Powerball and Mega Millions, instant win scratch cards and keno. The NC Online Lottery sells tickets to multistate and local drawings but does not offer instant win games at this time.

State residents 18 and older can buy the following games online at NCLottery.com or through the official mobile app:

The North Carolina Lottery flirted with the idea of offering instant win games online back in 2017 but relented amid strong opposition from the NC Retail Merchants Association and anti-gaming groups such as the NC Family Policy Council.

The North Carolina Retail Merchants Association opposed the idea out of fear online sales would hurt retail sales while the Family Policy Council warned of the dangers of allowing people to play online from their mobile devices.

What about online poker and gambling?

Only a few states so far have legalized online poker and casinos, and North Carolina is definitely not one of those. The deck is stacked against North Carolina legalizing either industry within a reasonable time frame. This is one of the most anti-gambling states in the Union.

Even live poker is rare in North Carolina. It wasn’t until 2012 that the state authorized its only casino to host live poker games and tournaments. Currently, Harrah’s Cherokee is the only place in the entire state where you can play a game of real money poker and remain on the right side of the law.

The same applies to online gambling. It’s highly unlikely that the state will legalize internet casinos any time soon. With just one casino in the entire state and virtually every other form of gambling outlawed, I wouldn’t place any bets on internet casinos coming to NC within the next five years or so.

Horse Racing in North Carolina

North Carolina does permit horse racing but there is a statewide ban on parimutuel wagering. The North Carolina Thoroughbred Association is the only organization in the state devoted to promoting and advancing the horse racing industry in the state.

Although races are held in NC from time to time, all parimutuel wagering is banned across the state. You can show up, watch the races and buy food but no betting is allowed. The state ban also includes simulcasting of events within the state and across state lines. This ban is the reason why all the major legal horse betting sites in the US do not accept customers from North Carolina.

Games of Skill

North Carolina defines gambling as any activity that includes the three elements of consideration, chance and reward. At least one of those elements must be removed from any game for it not to be considered gambling.

Games of skill are not considered gambling because they remove the element of chance. Consideration (the price you pay to play) and reward are still present, but chance is not. Examples of contests of skill would be participation in an athletic event, Scrabble or chess. You can bet on any of those in North Carolina as long as you’re a participant.

WorldWinner.com is the one website that offers these types of games online. At WorldWinner, you can play games such as Bejeweled and Scrabble against other people for real money. The stakes at WorldWinner are fairly small but some people do manage to earn a decent amount of money with these games. You can learn more by visiting the website below.

NC Gambling Laws

North Carolina’s gambling laws take the approach of barring everything except for what is specifically authorized. § 14-292 of the State Statutes lays it out in plain text:

Except as provided in Chapter 18C of the General Statutes or in Part 2 of this Article, any person organization that operates any game of chance or any person who plays at or bets on any game of chance at which any money, property or other thing of value is bet, whether the same be in stake or not, shall be guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. This section shall not apply to a person who plays at or bets on any lottery game being lawfully conducted in any state.

Only two tribal casinos are authorized to operate games of chance in the state. These are the Harrah’s Cherokee in Cherokee, NC and Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River in Murphy. The one located in Cherokee is the biggest of the two with a 150,000 square foot gaming area complete with video poker, slot machines, table games and poker. The resort also has a 1,108 room casino, spa, 11 restaurants, a golf club and a night lounge.

Apart from that, North Carolina doesn’t offer much in the way of betting. State Statue § 14-309.20 outlaws greyhound racing and the only horse racing tracks do not allow parimutuel wagering. The state also has no exception for home poker games. Thus, it is possible that merely hosting a social poker game could get you arrested.

Online gambling isn’t specifically mentioned in any of North Carolina’s gaming laws. The general ban on gambling could be applied to online wagering, but the state does not appear to enforce that law at this time to catch people playing games of chance from their computers.

Overall, North Carolina’s legal landscape has made this state a desert for gambling with Harrah’s Cherokee being the only oasis. State legislators have shown absolutely zero interest in expanding the state’s gambling industry either online or in the real world.

Is sports betting legal in North Carolina?

No, sports betting is not legal in North Carolina. Lawmakers and voters alike have long resisted any form of gambling expansion, and sports betting is no exception. It would take a major legislative effort to overcome opposition from anti-gambling groups and anti-gambling lawmakers for North Carolina to change its mind on sports betting.

Surprisingly, Eilers & Krejcik Gaming included North Carolina in its report detailing the 32 states most likely to legalize gambling. Being in the top 32 of 50 states is hardly a sign sports betting is imminent, but it was surprising to see North Carolina even make it that far. The 2017 report estimates that North Carolina would be likely to legalize sports betting within five years of the national sports betting prohibition being repealed or stricken down.

The North Carolina criminal code classifies the act of betting on sports as a Class 2 misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1,000 and a maximum of 60 days in jail. Although none of that sounds like any fun, it is not the most draconian gambling punishment in the world.

It is possible to bet on sports in North Carolina at websites hosted abroad, but keep in mind the above penalties. To this date, we are unaware of anyone ever being charged for betting online in North Carolina even if it is possible in theory. The more immediate risk is that of receiving a fair game. Offshore sportsbooks come with absolutely no guarantees and are not recommended.